The first look is quick
The job site Ladders studied recruiters with eye-tracking software. Its 2012 study found that recruiters spent about six seconds on an initial scan of a resume before deciding whether to keep reading, and a 2018 follow-up measured about 7.4 seconds. The exact number varies, but the lesson holds: the first look decides whether you get a second one.
Where their eyes go
In those first seconds, recruiters mostly look for a few things:
- Your name and current job title
- Your current and previous employers
- The dates of each role
- Your education and top certifications
Eyes move down the left side of the page and across the top, so information placed there is seen first.
Make the top third count
- Put a title line under your name that matches the kind of role you are applying for.
- Keep your summary to two or three lines that say what you do and what you do best.
- Start with your most recent, most relevant role.
Make it easy to scan
- Use clear section headings and plenty of white space.
- Keep bullets short, ideally one line each, and start each with a strong verb.
- Put job titles, employers and dates in the same place for every role.
- Avoid dense paragraphs, decorative graphics and more than two fonts.
Then earn the second read
If the first look goes well, the recruiter comes back and reads closely. That is when results matter: numbers, scope and a career that clearly moves forward. Make every bullet show what changed because of your work.